


Burn Your Wings to Spite Your Life

by BatchSan



Series: Obnum: Breathing Fire Collection [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Attempted Murder, Betrayal, F/F, Femslash, Love/Hate, Secret Agendas, Shapeshifting, Tragedy, Violence, Wrongful Imprisonment, soulbonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-03
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-24 13:08:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4920835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatchSan/pseuds/BatchSan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iz'abel is next in line to the throne but a tragic accident thrusts her onto the throne prematurely. In her sorrow and anger, she lashes out at the woman who saved her life. In doing so, she  unknowingly sets in motion events no one could have foreseen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maypop](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maypop/gifts).



> Inspired by the Princess/Female Knight pairing, I took things and ran. I ran so damn far that this is the beginning of a whole series, but one thing at a time! 
> 
> Hopefully, this is enjoyable! =)

Iz'abel was ten years old when she first encountered a tall, lanky girl on a bridge overlooking the icy waters of the Rio Norte. The girl spared her a glance but didn't react to her as others did - with a bow of respect to the future Queen. Her indifference outraged the child but the girl, almost twice her age and almost twice her height, climbed the railing of the bridge and jumped before the princess could think to scream at her or call for help.

She and a nearby guard rushed to the spot where the girl had jumped from, scanning the water for a sign of her. Iz'abel finally spied her swimming easily to the riverbank, oblivious to the cold. The guard laughed.

"First newbie recruit with the gull to make the jump! Never thought I'd ever see one fool enough to do it!" He said.

Iz'abel said nothing, relieved to see the girl alive but once again upset over her disrespect.

That had been a long time ago now, but Iz'abel often revisited the moment in her dreams. Sometimes the girl would sprout majestic wings and fly away, head southeast over the Hills and Forbidden Plains to the Fang Range. Sometimes Iz'abel followed, especially as she grew older. 

On the eve of Iz'abel's eighteenth birthday, the girl began coughing smoke, collapsing to the ground before she could decide whether she was going to fly or swim. And then it wasn't a dream - smoke burned Iz'abel's throat, stinging her nose and eyes as she sat up in bed. She couldn't see fire but smoke was slowly filling her room. Rushing from her bed, Iz'abel attempted to open her bedroom door but the doorknob was fiery hot, searing the flesh of her palm. Crying out, she banged on the door for help before rushing to the window. It was locked and barred from the outside.

A sickening feeling weighed her down, tears falling from her eyes as the smoke grew thicker. She jumped when something hit the bedroom door. One, two, three - the edge of an axe ripped through the wooden door on the fifth chop. Mixed fear and relief flooded Iz'abel as the haft of the axe helped rip the door apart. Was it an assassin taking advantage of the situation? Arming herself with a candelabra, Iz'abel waited for the possible assassin to break through the door before holding it up to their throat. She couldn't see the other person well, a blanket had been wrapped around the mouth and head, the rest covered their torso and with the smoke there wasn't anything identifiable about them.

"Identify yourself," she ordered, fighting back the urge to cough.

"Jacinta Rojo, Second-tier Guardsmen."

The name didn't ring any bells for Iz'abel but she wasn't the kind of person to take note of every guard that roamed the halls of her family's castle. It annoyed her mother to no end. Still, she allowed the guard to guide her out into the hallway where the stricken face of her younger sister, Kr'stala, stared at her from the safety of an alcove. Between them, several balls of cloth were burning, attacking the drapery and carpet around it.

"Mother! Father!" Kr'stala said, pointing up the hallway to their bedroom. The fire was worst there, a large wooden table had been set aflame there, though it didn't appear to have harmed the bedroom doors, yet.

"You must save my parents," Iz'abel ordered Jacintha.

"I can't get past that inferno!" Jacintha said.

"You have to! It's what you're honorbound to do!"

With an audible grunt of annoyance, Jacintha ushered Iz'abel to her sister's side then used her axe to attempt to get by the fire. Successful, Jacintha began chopping at the King and Queen's bedroom door. The castle was coming to life by then, guards and servants alike were rushing to and fro with pails of water. Iz'abel paid them no mind, eyes locked on Jacintha's backside. When she finally broke through the door, she was only out of sight for a moment, long enough to reveal that there was another fire raging within the confines of the bedroom. She feared the worst for her parents, feeling sick when Jacintha exited alone and coughing fiercely.

"Come," a guard urged the princesses.

In her sorrow and confusion, Iz'abel pointed at Jacintha. "I demand she be arrested," she said.

"On what charges?" Jacintha cried.

"Failing to save the King and Queen of El Hielo Norte."

Before the guard that attempted to urge the princesses away from the fire could react, Jacintha raced forward and slapped Iz'abel across the face. 

"Idiot!" She shouted before being tackled to the ground. In the ensuing struggle, the blanket, heavily singed and black with ash and smoke, came off. When Jacintha was detained and dragged up to her feet, Iz'abel's eyes widen. The face was older, but it was one she hadn't forgotten.

"You're that girl that jumped from the bridge!" She exclaimed.

Jacintha didn't say anything. The guards shoved her forward, away from the fire, which was slowly coming under control, and the stunned princesses.

"My parents," Kr'stala asked a passing guard, "have you seen them?"

"I'm sorry, Lady Kr'stala. No one has seen them and we fear the worst."

Iz'abel hugged her sister and allowed two trusted servants to lead them away from the heat and heartbreak.

The next few hours crept by as the fire was finally contained and the bodies of the King and Queen of the Northern Regions were found in their bed. Word spread quickly and by nightfall persons from as far south as Lumber Beach had heard the news of the passing. Though devastated, Iz'abel sat through a small coronation ceremony the next morning and took the crown and throne as the new ruler of the Northern Regions.

She hated it all. Somebody had to rule but how was she expected to take on such a large role when her grief was so strong, it felt like she were drowning in it. Her sister could barely look at her without tearing up, and Iz'abel could think of no words of comfort to offer her. 

*  
There is little light in the dungeon, none of it from a window. Jacintha hadn't a clue what day it was when she finally saw Iz'abel again. Days, weeks, perhaps a month? She felt weak and vulnerable and loathed Iz'abel for it. Spoiled, royal brat - she'd hated working for them but the pay was good and her father's dying wish had been for her to rise through the ranks to knighthood. No doubt that was a foolish wish now but Jacintha's heart ached to know she had failed her father.

"I hope you're enjoying your stay?"

Jacintha looked up, finding Iz'abel dressed in a fine white dress with an icy blue trim. She paid no mind to the Queen's crown atop her dark hair. Perhaps if she paid her no mind whatsoever, Jacintha would be sentenced to a quick death. There was no point, in her mind, anyway, of trying to argue her situation. Spiteful royalty was nothing but.

"Rude," Iz'abel said. "You are surely the most rudest person in the entirety of my kingdom."

"Thank you, highness." 

It had slipped out but there was enough honey-coated bite to it that Jacintha could not have argued otherwise. So be it, she figured. At least the bit of spitefulness felt good. 

"Rude," Iz'abel repeated. She remained outside of Jacintha's prison cell, staring. Jacintha wondered if she was waiting for an apology or deciding how horrid a death sentence she should suffer. 

"Why didn't you bow?" Iz'abel finally asked. 

"Excuse me?" 

"Ten years ago, on the bridge overlooking the Rio Norte. You didn't bow to me when I walked by. Why?"

Jacintha was silent. Then, "I barely recall what you're talking about."

Iz'abel stomped in frustration. "You jumped into the river that day! How can you not recall such an idiotic decision?"

"Ten years ago I was a dumb kid just starting out as a trainee guard to your family. I didn't make a list of all the idiotic things I did," Jacintha snapped. 

"Well, it occurred. I still expect an apology for your disrespect."

Jacintha laughed. "You wrongfully arrested me under a charge that almost guarantees my death and you want me to apologize for something I don't remember doing ten years ago? How do you expect that?"

"I don't have to give the order for your execution right away. But I do wonder how you'll handle three days and nights of no food?"

Sneering, Jacintha rattled her shackles. "Why don't you focus on whom set the fire instead getting your jollies off on tormenting me?" she asked. 

"An investigation is well underway on the fire, worry not." Iz'abel said and turned to walk away. 

"Your parents were murdered in their beds when I entered the room. There was nothing I could have done for them, just so you know."

Iz'abel shot her a quick glance and left. The news left an uncomfortable knot in her throat. Her parents hadn't been hated and were in good standing with nearly the entire kingdom. They had no enemies that she could think of off the top of her mind but clearly, someone tried to kill her entire family and so long as the culprit remained at large, the greater the chance her and her sister's life was still in danger.


	2. Chapter 2

Iz'abel returned to the dungeons on the fourth morning after last seeing Jacintha. She carried with her a tray of food - bread, cheese, an apple, and a pitcher of water. She been advised several times to keep away from the dungeons, it wasn't a queen's job to deal directly with prisoners but she ignored her advisors. They couldn't understand her strange fascination with Jacintha, she barely understood it herself. 

Arriving at Jacintha's cell, Iz'abel found her sitting upright against the far wall, staring straight ahead. For a moment she thought the other woman had died with her eyes open, but then they swept over to her as if only realizing she was actually standing there. Jacintha didn't move or speak as Iz'abel went to the food slot. She did not set the tray in the slot though.

"Will you apologise now?" Iz'abel asked. 

Nothing but the same blank stare. 

Iz'abel sighed. "Why are you so difficult?"

"Why," Jacintha started, pausing to clear her stale throat, "are you so obsessed with such a small slight?"

Eyes widened for only a second before narrowing. "There are kingdoms in Obnum where citizens not bowing to their rulers is an immediate death sentence. My parents are--were--good people whom didn't believe in that senselessness, but still, citizens in El Hielo respected them with an unprovoked bow. Always. I don't see what the problem is," Iz'abel said. 

Jacintha spat what little spit was left in her mouth. "Of course you wouldn't! You've never had to feel degraded by knowing that every time you bowed to a superior, you acknowledge that they are better than you." Jacintha was standing now, bowed slightly by the weight of her shackles. "You can't know how disgusting it is to see people who think they are better just because they've more money in their pocket. No one has equal circumstances, but that doesn't mean that everyone can't be respected equally."

They stared at each other for a long moment before Jacintha huffed and sat back down. She looked away from Iz'abel and quietly added, "I won't apologize, nor will I bow. If I bow anymore my back will break from all of the bullshit on it."

"You disappoint me," Iz'abel said. "Perhaps I've lived in my dreams for too long."

Setting the tray on the narrow edge of the food slot, she placed the water pitcher on the ground between the bars. 

"We've found no leads to the culprit behind the fire and there are so many things I must do as queen, but how do I do them? I only want justice for my parents, and to grieve them on my own time but all of it seems so utterly impossible."

Jacintha tilted her head toward Iz'abel but kept her eyes locked on the wall. "It gets easier, in time. You can only keep their face and words in your head, let them guide you from the Beyond," she said. 

Turning her body away as best as her shackles let her, Jacintha hugged her legs and the strange conversation was over. A shadow of guilt had begun to fall over Iz'abel. As she left, she wondered what to do with Jacintha. Her parents and kingdom deserved justice and right now with no leads and no others in custody, it was likely best to put the blame on Jacintha and be done with it. She tried to think of what her parents would do but the thought of them only brought tears. 

*  
"Sister?"

Iz'abel started at the voice, turning to the door of her temporary bedroom. Kr'stala stood uncertainly at the threshold, looking as tired and stressed as Iz'abel felt. 

"Come, enter."

Smiling, Kr'stala entered, closing the door behind her. She then joined her sister on the bench before her vanity mirror, instantly helping to undo the hairpins holding up Iz'abel's hair as they often had done growing up. Iz'abel wished she could say they were still as close as they had been as children but once Iz'abel had turned eleven, her parents had began grooming her for her future role. She often felt badly about leaving her sister behind for her grooming but it wasn't something she could have helped. Because of it, the two year gap between their ages was only a small part of the far larger gap between them. 

"Any word from Guardsmen Andrews?" Kr'stala asked after a few moments. 

"Nothing encouraging, to be sure," Iz'abel lamented.

"And what of the prisoner?"

"Captain Feliciano suggested pinning the crimes on Rojo."

"That's a fine idea," Kr'stala snapped suddenly. "And allow the real culprit to get away with their misdeeds?"

"Gods, no! We would still seek them out. But perhaps if we punished Rojo publicly the citizens wouldn't think us incompetent."

Kr'stala didn't look convinced.

"We are not going to quit investigating what happened, ever. Not until justice is fully carried out. I give you my word," Iz'abel said. "This is only to appease the public, nothing more."

"So you're willing to condemn an innocent person?"

Iz'abel sighed. "I inadvertently have. May as well use it to our advantage, no?"

Kr'stala was silent a moment, thinking it over. "All right, I support your decision."

"Thank you."

Kr'stala stood and kissed her sister's cheek. "I'll let you get some rest then, I imagine tomorrow will be an eventful day."

Iz'abel nodded and smiled. "I love you," she said. 

"I love you too," Kr'stala replied.

*  
Jacintha started at the sound of her cell door. She wondered, as she often did, what time it was. Presently she had been dozing, but now she was squinting through the dungeon's gloom to see whom her visitor was - no one had entered her cell before. It was impossible to tell the person, she quickly realized, as the person was clad in black from head to toe. It was as though a shadow had come to life as far as she could tell - perhaps it had, stranger things happen all the time. 

For a moment the visitor stood just beyond her reach within the cell but then they swept forward quickly and Jacintha only had a second to realize they meant her harm before a boot collided with her jaw. Stars blossomed before her eyes and her head exploded in pain, but her attacker wasn't done. While she was stunned, they ripped her head backward by her dark hair and landed several punches on her face until she felt dizzy from the pain.

A knee then collided with her chin and she was on her back, limbs at odd and uncomfortable angles because of the shackles. Jacintha didn't bother to fight her attacker when fingers pried her mouth open and a tepid liquid was poured down her throat. They made sure it went down her throat all the way before delivering a final blow, an elbow to her forehead, likely to keep her from attempting to spit up the mystery liquid.

As consciousness rapidly slipped from away from Jacintha, she heard her attacker whisper two words. 

_"Kill her."_

*  
The dungeon had always been her least favorite part of the castle growing up so Iz'abel never thought one person would have her wandering down to it so often. Well, today would be the last day, at least for a while. Once Jacintha had been publicly punished she probably wouldn't want to come down here anymore anyway. 

The heels of her fur-lined boots echoed too loud against the stone floor for her liking. They sounded like the start of a death march, which they technically were - not for her at least - but she didn't want to think that way. She honestly didn't want to think at all, not about any of this messy affair. 

Willing herself forward, Iz'abel reached Jacintha's cell but gasped when she looked in. The former guard was sprawled on the floor, face bloody and bruised. Iz'abel recalled her previous visit and fear of the woman being dead but now it looked like it might be a justifiable concern. Fumbling with the keys she had brought with her in hopes of opening the door to have a proper discussion of what was to come, Iz'abel called out to the down woman but received no response. 

"Rojo!" she called, approaching and falling to her knees beside the woman. She shook her but it took several tries before Jacintha groaned and peeked an eye slightly open. 

"Highness," she said, closing her eye quickly and groaning again as she attempted to move her stiff limbs. Everything hurt and she regretted moving the instant she tried it. 

"Who did this?" Iz'abel demanded, feeling outraged but relieved to see the woman was still alive.

"A shadow," Jacintha mumbled, eyes still closed. Her jaw especially hurt when she tried to speak. It took an extreme amount of effort to get into a sitting position, her body, especially her face, ached. A soft hand touched Jacintha's cheek, near the dark, ugly bruise on her cheek. When she opened her eyes, she found Iz'abel's gazing at her in concern and an overwhelming sense of desire overcame Jacintha. There was a very brief moment where she realized Iz'abel had been affected by the same urge.

A small red light formed in between them as they surged forward at the same time, colliding their lips midway. It should've been crude and violent but their mouths slid perfectly together, drawn together by a force they didn't understand. They felt a coolness flow down their throats, pooling in their stomachs where it seemed to anchor itself. And when they moved apart, a faint red thread of light connected them before vanishing. 

"What was that?" Iz'abel asked, touching her fingers to her lips. 

Jacintha didn't answer, staring down at the floor in disbelief. When Iz'abel moved as if to stand, Jacintha took hold of her hand, a possible mistake as the contact made both their skins tickle and tingle. Their eyes met, emotions swarming them - emotions not their own.

"It's not possible to sentence me to death any longer," Jacinta said. 

"Why not?"

"We've just been soulbound. If I die, so will you, and vice versa."


End file.
